Spinning and Weaving Week
Art Sparks
We're thrilled to offer activities and events for seven days devoted to celebrating spinning and weaving. Our programming will educate, inspire, and support the fiber art community.

October 2-8, 2023
$ 0 - HGA Student Members
$25 - HGA Members
$50 - Non-Members
Art Sparks
Art Sparks Sessions are sample classes or mini workshops covering a hyper-specific topic and are often used to introduce participants to a new art form, technique, or equipment. They might be repurposed content or a unit from a larger online course. Art Sparks Sessions will be offered in 30-minute and 1-hour segments.
Click the button below to access the supply lists for Art Sparks sessions.
Art Sparks Schedule
To register for an Art Sparks Session you must first register to attend Spinning & Weaving Week.
All sessions will be recorded and available on-demand to registered attendees for 90 days. Not a member? Join Today
$10/$20 - HGA Members
$15/$30 - Non-Members
All scheduled times are Eastern Time Zone (ET).
Click the class name for more information.
We are updating the website regularly as classes fill up, but for the latest availability, please call us at (678) 730-0010,
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Jill Staubitz - Part One: Understanding Block Weaves and Profile Drafting (1M-M01) - FULL - Wait List Available
Jill often hears “I understand how to weave it, but how did you arrive at those tie ups?" Understanding block weaves and profile drafting makes all the difference for being in charge of what you weave. Jill can unravel this mystery for you! In the first session, you'll learn the difference between a thread-by-thread draft and a profile draft. We’ll start with a basic understanding of what constitutes a block weave, and why some structures are block weaves and unit weaves. Using a profile draft, we'll “plug-in” a structure’s threading, treadling and tie ups and create a thread-by-thread draft. You will have begun to unlock the mystery by the end of this session! This session has limited capacity.
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Jill Staubitz - Part One: Understanding Block Weaves and Profile Drafting (1M-M01B) - FULL - Wait List Available
Jill often hears “I understand how to weave it, but how did you arrive at those tie ups?" Understanding block weaves and profile drafting makes all the difference for being in charge of what you weave. Jill can unravel this mystery for you! In the first session, you'll learn the difference between a thread-by-thread draft and a profile draft. We’ll start with a basic understanding of what constitutes a block weave, and why some structures are block weaves and unit weaves. Using a profile draft, we'll “plug-in” a structure’s threading, treadling and tie ups and create a thread-by-thread draft. You will have begun to unlock the mystery by the end of this session! This session has limited capacity.
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Dr. Rachel S. Fesperman - Unraveling the Bayeux Tapestry: History, Theory, and Practice (1W-M02)
Through a discussion of its history, materials, and the techniques of its creation, Dr. Rachel S. Fesperman will unravel the mysteries of the 1,000-year-old Bayeux Tapestry (c. 1099) in this hour-long seminar session. Through an interactive lecture format, Dr. Fesperman will contextualize this intricate 200-foot-long work of fiber art, including its many connections to weaving, spinning, dyeing, and embroidery practices today. She will also share her own experimental archaeology practice and how she has endeavored to study the Bayeux embroidery by recreating parts of it one stitch at a time. No prior weaving, sewing, or research experience is needed for this session.
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Meagan Condon - Why Does Wool Do That? (1W-M03)
Some fiber is stretchy and some is drapey. Some wool feels prickly and some doesn’t. Most wool felts… but some doesn’t. Why? We’ll explore the microscopy of fiber and what that means to the hand spinner.
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Jill Staubitz - Part One: Understanding Block Weaves and Profile Drafting (1M-M01C) - FULL - Wait List Available
Jill often hears “I understand how to weave it, but how did you arrive at those tie ups?" Understanding block weaves and profile drafting makes all the difference for being in charge of what you weave. Jill can unravel this mystery for you! In the first session, you'll learn the difference between a thread-by-thread draft and a profile draft. We’ll start with a basic understanding of what constitutes a block weave, and why some structures are block weaves and unit weaves. Using a profile draft, we'll “plug-in” a structure’s threading, treadling and tie ups and create a thread-by-thread draft. You will have begun to unlock the mystery by the end of this session! This session has limited capacity.
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Dena Moses - Learning to Love Front to Back Warping (1M-M04) - FULL - Additional Session Available Fri, Oct. 6, at 5 PM
Front to back warping is a relatively recent innovation and there are many variations. Dena believes that there is nothing inherently better from one warping method to the next, provided certain important safeguards are in place. In this workshop, we will look at the history of front to back warping: what has worked well, what has not, where there have been flaws in how it is taught, and how these flaws have led to it getting a bad reputation. Dena will discuss the method in detail, including how the different parts fit together, and then open the workshop up for a discussion of what is and isn’t working for you while warping and how you can make it work better with minimal effort. This session has limited capacity.
Leaders
Click on the Leader's name to read their bio, see their Art Sparks sessions and to visit their website.
Sponsorship Opportunities
Be part of HGA's 7-day celebration. This digital extravaganza showcases the fiber arts with vendor demonstrations and product talks, virtual studio tours, speakers, panels, and a fun fashion show bringing together fiber enthusiasts from across the world while providing opportunities to connect online and in the days following. All events are presented over digitally through Cvent with the ability to host an unlimited number of attendees. The 2020 inaugural event included more than 40 hours of programming over 7 days. We anticipate 1,000 fiber enthusiasts will attend HGA’s Spinning & Weaving Week either in real time or by viewing recordings.
Contributions help extend HGA’s programming to more than 10,000 fiber artists and art enthusiasts through our various programs and sustains our programs at their highest level of artistic and educational excellence.
We understand that the dollars you spend need to bring the maximum benefit to your company. Corporate sponsors are offered exclusive benefits and services based on their level of contribution. Our packages are carefully structured at each level to provide the maximum visibility and the greatest mutual benefit but can be tailored to meet your organization’s philanthropic or marketing objectives. For more information, please call (678) 730-0010 or email HGA@WeaveSpinDye.org.
All Spinning & Weaving Week Sponsors will receive the following recognition in addition to the items listed in the packages:
- Name recognition on HGA’s webpage as Sponsor and logo and link to your website
- Logo and name recognition in approximately *8,000 copies of Shuttle Spindle & Dyepot magazine
- E-Blast sent to HGA’s mailing list of more than 10,300 promoting your sponsorship
- Post recognizing your sponsorship on HGA’s Facebook page (10,200+ followers)
- Tweet recognizing your sponsorship from HGA’s Twitter account (1,300+ followers)
- Post recognizing your sponsorship on HGA’s Instagram account (4,500+ followers)
- Continued publicity for 90 days after the week is over through recorded viewing of each event
Download Additional Resources
- Sponsorship Opportunities
- Spinning and Weaving Week Poster
- Sample Press Releases
- Ideas for Activities